Smithfield pubs

The Barley Mow, Barley Mow Passage, off Long Lane, EC1A 9EJ

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On entering, the charming wooden decor made us feel as if we had stepped back a century or two. The fact that there were seats available on a Friday night was just plain astounding. The fire roaring away in the corner was both comforting and welcoming. Ales on offer included the excellent Timothy Taylor Landlord and Charles Wells Bombardier. Despite being presented with these enjoyable surroundings the most vivid memory of this pub has to be the toilets. Where else can you enter the gents via what can only be described as an ante-chamber. It was probably a courtyard in the old days, but was eventually covered over for aesthetic reasons. There is even a bench where you can sit and contemplate the surreal black sloping shape at the base of the opposite wall. Very odd indeed. After a long period of inactivity, new life has finally been breathed into this pub, but unfortunately the aged interior and bizarre toilets have been swept away in a daytime TV style redecorating frenzy. The old character of the pub has been covered by a liberal coating of bland-coloured paint and the furnishings are all shiny. Perhaps we are being overly critical, after all it is still a pub. As for entertainment, there is a pool table and several flat screen TVs at strategic points to maximise viewing pleasure. Beer-wise its all a bit run of the mill, although the bar staff are friendly and there is enough there to suit most tastes. Does traditional pub grub.

Bishops Finger, 9-10 West Smithfield, EC1A 9JU

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Named after the famous tipple produced by the Kent-based Shepherd Neame brewery, this pub is a stones throw from St Barts Hospital and Smithfield Market. As a consequence, the downstairs bar gets seriously busy at lunchtimes. Those in search of quieter surroundings can venture upstairs. The full range of excellent Shepherd Neame ales is served and for the foodies out there, a delicious variety of sausages on offer.

Butchers Hook and Cleaver, 61 West Smithfield, EC1A 9DY

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Another member of the growing legion of Fullers pubs. I was lured here by work colleagues who had recently been lucky enough to be in the pub at the time of the last of the medical exams. Hordes of very attractive (and drunk) female medical students had descended on the place from nearby St Barts Hospital. Unsurprisingly, on this particular visit there were no fit nurses to be seen. After recovering from this initial disappointment, the matter of choosing a drink ensued. The full range of Fullers ales is served either on draught or in bottled form. I opted for the Summer Ale which was lightly chilled and flavoursome. There is a mural on one wall featuring monks which alludes to the nearby meat market. At the other side of the pub there is a mezzanine floor which offers a table service. We chose instead to bask outside in the evening sunshine and wait for the rush hour to pass.

The Cock, East Poultry Avenue, Smithfield, EC1A 9PT

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The sign above the entrance displaying the words "The Cock Restaurant" is slightly disconcerting, although this is an improvement on the red, white and blue banners saying "Keep the Pound" and "No Euros" which used to mark the entrance to this unique establishment. Images immediately spring to mind of drunk meat traders sharpening knifes ready to attack anyone who pays for their beer with a five Euro note. The Cock is one of those amazing pubs that opens at 6am for the market. The downside is that it often shuts at a ridiculously early 3:30pm. This is a bit of a problem when you happen to be on a pub crawl in Smithfield and its already 5:50pm. Undeterred, we decided to disregard this minor detail and ventured down the long staircase taking us beneath the historic meat market. To our utter delight it was still open, but only just. The barman who was chatting to his wife and her friend from behind the bar looked pleased to see us: "They are trying to get me to go out with them", he said, "but I would rather stay here", and who could blame him. The multitude of formica tables give the place the rough charm of a workers' cafe. The faded photographs on the walls of the great market depict images of men hard at work in the old days. Sky TV looks down from two screens at polar opposites of the pub making it an ideal place to watch sport. The beer isn't bad either, nobody had a bad word to say about the Courage Best at any rate. The next time I get an attack of insomnia or I'm rudely awoken by a police helicopter I will have to come here for one of their legendary breakfasts...and a pint of beer.

The Fox And Anchor, 115 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6AW

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As I write this review I am tucking into a hearty meal and sipping my pint. Nothing unusual in that you might think, after all this is a pub. Well, yes it is, but it's only 7:30am. The Fox and Anchor is one of those wonderful pubs that opens early for the market. Ironically, on my visit there wasn't a single market porter amongst the clientele, just a few men in suits holding a breakfast meeting. The breakfast menu included full English, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs as well as a veggie option. Steaks were also available for the overtly carnivorous. Whatever the choice the portions are colossal. The pub itself is an intriguing late Victorian affair. A long bar adorned with ornate wooden carvings stretches majestically towards the back of the pub. Beyond that there is an array of intimate nooks and crannies housing small tables. Ideal for undisturbed conversation. I honestly cannot remember what beers they had on offer. It was too early in the morning for me to observe such details. My gut feeling is that the selection was good, although I will have to go back to survey what they have on offer. As if I really need an excuse. Now in the midst of a major refurb. Where once people stood drinking, cement mixers churn and pneumatic drills whirr. There is no telling what the future holds at the moment

The Hand and Shears, 1 Middle Street, Cloth Fair, EC1A 7JA

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Built on the site of an ale house founded in 1123 close to the mediaeval cloth fair, The Hand and Shears has a long tradition of selling beer to the local public. The present building is just over 450 years old and looks the part with low ceilings and separating walls between the old public and saloon bars. The compartmentalised interior, though charming, does have the drawback of filling up with people and their cigarette smoke, especially on a Friday night. Seating was at a premium on our visit although we were lucky enough to find some after getting our beers in. Once seated and sipping we were able to fully appreciate the good atmosphere in this no nonsense drinkers pub.

The Hope, 94 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6BH

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This is a great pub. I was convinced RPF had been here and it remained unreviewed for months, even years. Then one day, I discovered the shocking truth and made it my mission to visit. My first visit here was at 8am on a weekday morning for a breakfast "meeting" in the dining room upstairs. When I arrived my boss was there sipping a cup of tea. Oh. I had better not have a pint of Guinness then. The friendly waitress took our orders. We could have had kippers, steak, full English or a veggie breakfast. I opted for the full English and rather reluctantly, tea. When the food arrived, it was the largest breakfast I've ever seen: Two rashers of bacon, egg, sausage, fried bread, tomato, beans, black pudding, kidneys and liver, oh and some toast with butter and marmalade. It was all delicious. Now I truly know what people mean when they say that a breakfast "sets you up for the day". It means that you cannot face another meal. I struggled to eat half a bowl of soup that evening. Although I had consumed half my body weight in food I had failed to have a proper drink. As such I felt that I'd be cheating the pub-going masses if I were to submit a review on the strength of that one visit. We had to go back, so go back we did. This time we went to the pub downstairs. The bar stretching down the right hand wall displays a decent range of beers including Youngs Bitter. The end of the bar near the door serves a mouth watering range of freshly roasted meat sandwiches. People were popping into the pub placing their sandwich order and having a pint while they waited - how very civilised. It is deceptively small on the inside, however the confined surroundings somehow add to the atmosphere. This combined with the food, the beer and the period dcor make it one of the best pubs in the area. Recommended.

The Long Lane Pub, 71 Long Lane, EC1A 9EJ

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Rumour has it that the great Peter Ustinov frequents this hostelry and we can see why. They serve Shepherd Neame ales on tap and their steak lunches are superb. All the meat is sourced from nearby Smithfield Market. Both the upstairs and downstairs bars are light and airy yet retain all the yellow and brown shades of a traditional pub. The moment you set foot in here the whole pace of life seems to slow down. Several pints of Spitfire later, time simply stands still. I liked the Old Red Cow and was sad to see it go. For a long time I wondered what the future would hold. After what seems like an eternity it has reopened as a pub, which is an encouraging start. Unfortunately it is no longer run by Shepherd Neame and the beer selection has suffered as a result: only two bitters. On our visit my usual order was greeted with a “sorry mate there is no bitter at the moment”. Oh dear. Looking around the place I couldn’t quite put my finger on what had changed. Not a lot. The place has been given a lick of bland-coloured paint and an LCD TV has been attached to the wall for the pleasure of viewing football; although if you are a West Ham fan you need to replace the word pleasure with pain in the previous statement. The new pub serves Thai food, which judging by the menu, looks very tempting. It will never be as good as its predecessor, but hey, it’s still a pub.

The Mint, 12 East Smithfield, E1W 1AP

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A pub embedded within a gleaming modern office block opposite the entrance to St Katherine’s Dock. It exudes a blandness that is normally only reserved for corporate hotel lounges. The business-like theme continues as some blokes dressed in suits at the adjacent table hold a meeting. The non-suited blokes up at the bar engage in some lively banter with the barmaid, but any atmosphere gets sucked skywards by the high ceiling. Despite claiming to be a Fullers pub, the only one of their beers on tap was London Pride. Local office workers qualify for a 10% discount at the bar on production of a staff ID card. If you’re not local then don’t bother.

The New Market, 26 Smithfield Street, EC1A 9LB

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Judging by the noise, most of the people here must have been drinking since the early morning. This is probably not far from the truth, after all we are opposite Smithfield Market and many of the pubs do open early. Mario the landlord knows how to run a good pub. Lunchtimes are a veritable meat-fest and food is washed down with pints of Adnams and Greene King IPA. All this can be enjoyed in the downstairs bar or on the odd occasion the "roof terrace", which is accessed via the kitchens. Not as pricey as some of the other establishments bordering Smithfield. Opens on Saturday mornings for breakfast from 9am and fully licensed from 10am.

Rising Sun, 61 Carter Lane, EC4V 5EQ

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Don't be put off by the multitude of suits that descend on the place. This is a proper pub that serves proper beer. Sports fans can take advantage of the screen suspended high above the bar area. If you get hungry, the Thai food is tasty and good value for money. A bit of history for you - the pub that used to stand on this site, The Harts Head Tavern, was used by Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators as a meeting place. Who knows what plotting goes on here now?

The Rising Sun, 38 Cloth Fair, Smithfield, EC1A 7JQ

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A battered, well loved pub, free from the ravages of modernisation (although for how long it will last like this is anybody's guess) and with a good traditional stock of friendly Australian bar staff. This pub has the added attraction of emptying out after 9 o'clock on a Friday, making it ideal for those wind down pints at the end of the night. With such a lively and warm atmosphere, this one's vital to catch before the curse of stripped pine destroys everything that's good about it.

Ryans Bar, 56 Carter Lane, EC4V 6DE

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The interior of this place is as dark as the copious amounts of Guinness that get served on a daily basis. There is no natural light whatsoever save the lamps which illuminate pictures of "Oirish" sporting heroes which adorn the walls. Local suits fill this temple dedicated to the worship of sports and gaze transfixed at the various screens. Just getting to the bar is a supreme effort but once you get there the friendly Irish staff (yes, Irish - not antipodean) will pour you one of the best pints of Guinness in the square mile. However, like many pubs in the area, it is only open between Monday and Friday.

The Sutton Arms, 6 Carthusian St, EC1M 6EB

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The most remarkable thing about this pub is the window at the front. An enormous bowed glass thing, it rather resembles the side of a beer barrel, as if to suggest that the pub is slowly transforming into a giant barrel of ale. The inside is pleasant, if fairly unremarkable, offering little in the way of distinguishing features and certainly not resembling the inside of a barrel of beer. The decor is minimal, the bar staff and the punters pleasant, there is food blah blah blah. Good for a stopover, but not worth a trip out to see. Not open weekends.

The Viaduct Tavern, 126 Newgate Street, EC1A 7AA

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The name of this Victorian pub commemorates the opening of the nearby Viaduct over the Fleet valley. The large building dominates the corner of Giltspur Street and Newgate Street. However the inside seems strangely smaller, like the TARDIS in reverse. It has retained many of the original features from those days including etched glass and red lyncrusta paper on high ceilings. The pub was built on the site of the old Newgate prison and the cells still survive in the cellar of the pub. The Scottish barmaid will give you a guided tour of the cells, but you need to steer clear of lunchtimes and evenings to avoid disappointment. The pub serves an extensive range of beers, wines and spirits as well as food - so there should be something to please everyone.

The White Bear, 57 St John Street, EC1M 4DR

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My first visit here was under admittedly unusual circumstances: the road was covered in turf and a huge body of spectators had congregated to watch some cows eat hay in the middle of the street; Peter Ackroyd, suit trousers tucked into his socks and alcohol to hand, ambled about whilst beaming amiably into the middle ether, throwing off a general air of mild lunacy; and I got ambushed by a PhD student who wished to know my opinion about a range of issues concerning the abuse of public toilets. It was obviously time to hit the pub. I don't think the White Bear is usually open on a Saturday, nor does it generally have outside tables on a turfed-over road, with ring-side seats for watching the red hot action of cows eating hay, but oddities aside it is a pretty decent boozer. The front of the pub is dominated by a long, curving Georgian window offering a very attractive view of the outside goings on, and otherwise it's plain but comfy decoration, plenty of seating, decent beer and food big screen blah. The bar staff are all very friendly and there's absolutely no reason not to pop in when it's open. The next time the cows come to town (in a live state, at least, which is a rarity for Smithfield) I imagine I'll be here again.

The White Hart, 7 Giltspur Street, EC1A 9DE

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When I dropped in here one lunchtime it felt as if they were hosting the National Smokers Convention AGM. The clientele were almost entirely male, over 40 and smoking. After stumbling blindly through the miasma to the bar, I was able to order my pint of London Pride and locate a seat. The haze slowly cleared to reveal a tobacco stained traditional decor, a fruit machine and another dozen or so people who had hitherto been fog bound at their tables and tucking into pub grub. I would recommend this place for student smokers who are too poor to buy any more fags and are looking for a no frills boozer.

The Wicked Wolf, 105 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HW

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After a hard night's work of howling at the full moon and dodging a few silver bullets, a werewolf might fancy a cheeky pint in here before returning to wreak havoc on London's streets. Actually the chances of that happening are about as likely as West Ham winning promotion to the Premiership this season. The reason isn't that werewolves don't exist, its actually because this pub is dull. The walls have been painted in Clapham-esque plum hues and the 'choice' of beer lurches from watery Guinness to insipid mass produced lager. It might have been my imagination but the barman did have a rather generous growth of facial hair...

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